RE.Colorists- Luma Waveform ranges, is my grade too dark?

Please watch the following YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USYw1MxZbs0 it clearly explains the basics of color correction and how to use the Waveform Luma for exposure adjustments.

Happy to pop in. I've spent the last decade plus more around colorists than editors. I work for/with/teach pro colorists. I own most every decent book on digital or analog color, and actually read them cover to cover. Most, multiple times. HOURS of watching discussions and presentations online an in person.

My own setup is built around a full Tangent Elements panel, with four monitors, one UHD that is both calibrated and then profiled with Lightspace to check the calibration results. I work in the technically correct "semi-darkened room" with a D65 bias light behind the monitor, at the precise level according to the standards.  Against a correctly gray wall.

Ok ... good questions, and the answers always vary.

First things to cover ... the Mark I Eyeball is a horrid no good very bad thing! for any absolute value judgements. And while it can be decent at 'relative' judgements, you have to know you have a good 'relative' referent you are referring to.

Second, is ... the only monitors that arrive actually correctly set for say Rec.709 come from specialty shops like Flanders FSI, which makes many of the high-end full on Grade 1 Reference monitors. Every monitor from Dell or BenQ or whoever else ... no, fughgedaboudit.

Calibrate with a puck and software setup to the Rec.709 standards ... D65 white point, 100 nits brightness, sRGB primaries, and using the full standard including the Bt.1886 display transform function approximating gamma 2.4. And the room should be moderately dark. Not black, but ... kinda dim.

If you can, use something like ColourSpace (new replacement for LightSpace) to do a profile pass, to check and chart what the monitor is actually providing after  it was calibrated.

Understand, most monitors even set for the "Rec.709" setting will be giving you 250 nits or better these days. Fine for in a bright room doing documents and emails. NOT good for actual checking the image.

So ... to your question. Are you going too dark?

The answer ... is ... maybe. As you didn't say the intent of this scene.

If this is supposed to be a 'general day-time' scene, then yes, it's too dark. The left side IRE scale, 0-100, is what I use for quick comparisons. And with nothing over about 60, and most even caucasian skin tones looking down at 50 or below, and SO much shadows under 10 ... that's more of a twilight scene as-is.

But if you meant for twilight, you hit it.

General "daylight" scenes outside, even in a forest with "open shade" and some bright spots coming through ... I would generally put Caucasian "diffuse highlight" (light but with full color still) spots around 70, certainly over 60. African diffuse highlights can vary a lot, but ... typically the 50-55 range. Some brighter.

And normally, very few "black" pixels (0-0-0), or even dark areas below 10, for an open-shade forest scene. That's something you've got a lot more of than I would normally do.

So ... unless you want 'twilight', I'd lift the mids and shadows some.

For another reference, a lot of film movies never ever had an actual "black" black point. Often it varied between 3 and 5  IRE equivalent.

Good day, @SiHutch,

I hope you're well. Sounds like you need some expertise from a color specialist. Hey @R Neil Haugen, would you like to have a look at this issue? That would be awesome.

Thanks,
Kevin